Tova Noel, a former correction officer at the Manhattan federal jail, testified before the House Oversight Committee that she was not the unidentified figure captured on surveillance footage approaching Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night before his death in August 2019. A transcript of her testimony, released this week, states that she does not know who the figure is and emphasized that she was not carrying anything orange, which was the color of the shape seen on the footage.
Noel acknowledged failing to conduct required inmate checks that night but denied any involvement in Epstein's death, which has been ruled a suicide. She stated she was unaware of Epstein's identity when he arrived at the facility and denied any connection to cash deposits made to her bank account or an alleged payment related to Epstein.
The sighting of the figure is significant as it was the last known approach to Epstein’s cell before his death, which has led to various conspiracy theories. The Inspector General’s report suggested the figure might have been Noel's, but without evidence. Most of the facility's cameras were not recording that night due to a hard drive failure, and the available footage only provided a partial view of the area.